Gracies POV (8 Years Old)
Where is Jay? That was all that was going through my head as I sat on the wall outside of my school. All of my friends had already been picked up and where probably already at home. Jay's never been this late before. Maybe I should just try and get home myself...or to the district! That would probably be a better bet. It's starting to get dark and I don't wanna be out here on my own. I took one last look down the street to check that there was definitely no sign of Jay before deciding that it was gonna be my best option. So I grabbed my backpack and put it on my back before heading in the direction I know the district is.
I continued on my walk for five minutes before realising that I needed to cross the road to get to the street I needed. I swallowed down my nerves before looking both ways and beginning to cross the road. That's when it all went black.
"Hey honey, can you hear me?" I heard a voice ask over the loud ringing that was filling my ears "everything's gonna be ok sweetie there's an ambulance on the way" the female voice assured as my eyes flicked open and darted around in a panic. I tried to move myself to sit up but I found someone holding my head still making me squeal in panic,
"It's ok, it's ok" the man holding my head tried to assure "just try and stay still and there's an ambulance on the way" he tried to comfort,
"What's your name sweetie?" The woman from before asked,
"Erm, G-Gracie" I said through panic and pained cries,
"That's a pretty name" she smiled "and look, here's the ambulance now" she said as an ambulance came to a stop near us,
"What've we got?" a voice asked,
"My husband and I came out of the coffee shop over there when we heard the sound of a car speeding away, we looked back and she was just lying here" the woman explained as the paramedic knelt down next to me,
"Hey sweetie" he smiled reassuringly "can you tell me your name?" He asked,
"G-Gracie" I told him as the other paramedic began to do some tests on me,
"How old are you Gracie?" He asked,
"E-Eight" I told him,
"Well Gracie, my name is Gary and this here is my partner Martin" he greeted "we're gonna look after you ok?" He asked and I tried to nod but remembered the man holding my head still,
"Try not to move for us Gracie" The other paramedic I now know is called Martin urged "what we're gonna do is get you on to a something called a spinal board just to until the doctors can make sure that everything is ok" he explained,
"I want my brothers" I sobbed,
"Ok sweetheart, we're gonna get you to a hospital right now and they can find them for you" Gary explained as I was wheeled in to the back of the ambulance, seeing nothing but the sky and then the roof of the ambulance above me "was your brother supposed to be with you?" He asked,
"Uh huh" I replied through tears "nobody came to my school" I tried to explain,
"So you tried to come home yourself?" He asked,
"Yeah" I said,
"Has this ever happened before Gracie?" He asked,
"No never" I replied and he smiled reassuringly,
"Then I'm sure there's just been some kind of cross communication" he said "now I'm just gonna call ahead to the hospital to let them know we're on our way ok?" He asked,
"Uh huh" I agreed "can you ask them to tell my brother?" I asked,
"They won't know who your brother is right now honey" he said with a slight confused frown,
"He's a doctor in the ED" I told him,
"Really? Ok well, I'm gonna call them now" he said before grabbing a phone and waiting for an answer. I could feel myself zoning out as the tears continued to fall freely down my cheeks so I wasn't really paying attention to any of the conversation. "Alright kiddo, you're brother is there and knows that you're on your way" he said making my sobs increase,
"It hurts" I sobbed slightly hysterically,
"Can you hold still for me?" He asked as he tried to take my hand in his and insert an IV but my screams intensified,
"Just leave it man we're here now anyway" Martin said from the drivers seat. The ambulance came to a stop and the back doors opened up before I was wheeled out of the ambulance and in to the ED,
"Hey Gracie, we got you now" Maggie soothed as she walked along next to us "we're going to treatment 3" she told Dr Rhodes as they wheeled me in to the cubicle,
"Ok, on my count" he spoke before I was moved off of one bed and on to the other,
"Gracie" the voice of my eldest brother spoke as he came in to view next to my bed and bend down to give me a comforting kiss on the forehead and brushed some of the tears away from my cheeks "shhh" he soothed as my sobs died down and turned in to silent cries "everything's ok, I got you" he spoke reassuring words,
"Will" Connor spoke and my brother looked up to meet his gaze and nodded,
"I just gotta go over here for a couple minutes whilst these guys check you out, ok?" He asked but I grabbed hold of his hand as if my life depended on it,
"NOOOO. DON'T LEAVE ME" I screamed,
"Shhh, I'm not leaving you. I promise I'm not leaving you. I'm just gonna be right there ok? I promise, everything's gonna be ok" he soothes as I let go of his hand and he moved out of the way whilst still remaining in the room.
"Hey kiddo" Connor greeted with a comforting smile "is it ok if I do a couple of tests on you to check that everything's ok?" He asked,
"I guess" I whimpered,
"Atta girl" he praised "now have you got any pain anywhere?" He asked as he put some kind of stickers on my chest and arms,
"My head and my arm" I cried softly,
"Ok" he said as he attached some wires to the stickers and pressed some buttons on a machine "order a spinal and CT scan as well as a x-ray for her arm for as soon as possible" he spoke to the nurse who was quick to leave and do as instructed "I just wanna do some quick checks on your eyes then we'll see about taking some of the pain away, ok?" He asked,
"Ok" I agreed and Connor pulled out a small torch and shone it in my eyes,
"Can you follow the light for me?" He asked and I did as he asked. He soon put the torch away and held his hand with some fingers raised "how many fingers can you see?" He asked and I squinted my eyes to try and make them focus,
"Four?" I said but it came out as more of a question,
"Ok" he said before changing the amount "and now?" He asked again,
"Two?" I said in the same uncertain voice as before,
"Alright, good job" he praised as he crossed his arms over his chest and Will returned to his place next to me and brushed my hair soothingly "now I already know you're not gonna like me too much for this but to give you the pain medicine I'm gonna have to put an IV in your hand" he explained and I immediately tried to hide my hand under my back,
"No" I declined,
"You want the pain to go away don't you?" He asked,
"Yeah" I defeated,
"It's just a sharp scratch and then it will be over" Will assured as he tried to distract me with mindless conversation,
"Ouch" I jumped as a sharp pain bit the skin of my hand,
"All done" Connor said "the pain should be feeling better in about ten minutes" he explained "then someone should be here to take you for some scans shortly" he turned to Will who nodded in understanding,
"Thanks Connor" my brother said before the other doctor left the room "what happened Gracie?" He asked me with a confused frown,
"I was trying to walk to the district" I explained and his confusion only increased,
"Why where you doing that? Why didn't you wait for Jay?" He asked,
"I was waiting for ages and he didn't come Will" I exclaimed "it was getting dark and nobody was there anymore" I sobbed,
"You're teachers just left you there?" He asked seriously and I nodded as much as I could with my head strapped down,
"I don't like this" I said as I lifted my hands up to try and release myself from it,
"Ah ah ah" he scolded lightly as he took my hand in his and moved it away "I know it's horrible but you've just gotta stay like this a little while longer" he said softly,
"Gracie?" Another panicked voice asked as my other brother rushed in to the room "what happened? Are you ok?" He asked as he stood where I could see him and put a comforting hand no the top of my head,
"We're waiting for the CT scan and x-rays" Will said slightly sharply,
"What happened?" He repeated his second question,
"She was trying to walk to the district after no one came to pick her up" Will informed and a look of horror and realisation flashed across his face,
"Oh my god" Jay sighed "I meant to call you to collect her but we got called out" he told us "wait...the school let you leave on your own?" He questioned,
"Everyone had already gone home" I said "the teacher told me to wait on the wall for you and then just left me there" I added,
"You've got to be kidding me" Jay commented,
"She wouldn't even be here if you'd have been there for her" Will snapped,
"I know" Jay agreed "I know and I'm so sorry" Jay apologised "I got called out just as I was about to call you and forgot" he admitted but Will shook his head furiously,
"And that's a good enough excuse as to why our little sister got hit by a car?" He retorted,
"It's not an excuse" Jay argued back "I'm fully aware that this is my fault" he added,
"She's eight years old for crying out loud" Will continued "even if this hadn't have happened I would of thought that you of all people would understand how dangerous that was" he exclaimed,
"Well maybe if it wasn't always down to me to pick her up it also wouldn't have happened" Jay argued,
"There you go again trying to find excuses" Will fired back,
"I'm not making any excuses" Jay snapped "I'm ju-" I cut him off,
"Stop stop stop" I pleaded through sobs and both of my brother turned to look at me with guilty expressions and Jay moved closer to my side to comfort me,
"Ok, ok" he soothed "we're sorry. We've stopped now, right?" He asked turning to Will,
"Right" Will agreed with a sigh "let's just focus on getting you better right now" he added and Jay nodded in agreement,
"I don't like this stupid thing Jay" I complained as I once again tried to remove the foam blocks from each side of my head,
"I know" Jay soothed "you've just got to keep it on until they can do a couple more tests" he explained,
"Try not to move too much kiddo" Will urged "does the pain feel any better?" He asked,
"A little" I replied "Connor had to put the needle thingy in my hand" I told Jay,
"What, and he left with his teeth?" He joked back making me giggle slightly through my tears,
"Actually she was very brave" Will defended "braver than you would've been" he joked back to Jay.
A nurse soon came and took me down for an x-ray of both my back and arm along with a CT scan before putting my arm in a sling and taking me back to the room I had been in before.
"Does that mean I can sit up now?" I asked hopefully, well and truly sick and tired of being strapped down to this solid board,
"Not quite" Jay said "you've just gotta wait for a doctor to have a look at the results first" he explained and I huffed,
"I want a cuddle" I complained tearfully and Jay smiled lightly at me in sympathy,
"And you can soon" he promised as he leant his forehead against mine "you can have as many cuddles as you want" he added as he poked my nose playfully,
"Where's Will?" I asked,
"He's just gone to get some coffee I think" he replied "his shift started at five this morning so he's gonna need as much as he can get" he added absentmindedly.
Will soon returned with a coffee for both himself and Jay and they tried to distract me by playing I spy. But it turns out, when you can only see the ceiling, it's not the best game to suggest.
"Hey, I've got good news" Connor said as he walked in to the room with an iPad in hand "both your head and you back are normal" he said,
"Does that me I can sit up now?" I asked hopefully making him smile,
"I most certainly does" he said "should we get you sat up?" He asked,
"I think it's for the best" Jay commented,
"Gracie doesn't do being still" Will added making Connor laugh as he removed the straps from my head and helped me to sit up as I stretched my neck,
"Better?" He asked and I nodded "so as I explained both of Gracies scans came back more or less normal" Connor said to my brothers "she do show signs of concussion but that's not exactly uncommon considering the bang to the head she had" he continued "however kiddo, you have got a broken arm" he said sympathetically and my eyes widened in horror,
"I don't wanna have another operation" I exclaimed, remembering last time I broke my arm and had to have two operations to put the metal rods in and take them out again.
"Well luckily you don't have to" he was quick to assure and Will wrapped his arm around my shoulders "the break is very small and should be able to heal itself in a cast" he explained and I nodded in relief,
"Does that mean I don't have to go to school tomorrow" I asked eagerly making everyone laugh,
"I'm pretty sure we can let you off for a few days" Will spoke, shaking his head in amusement.
"So can she come home?" Jay asked, directing his question to Connor who nodded,
"She can" he confirmed "we just need to get a cast on her arm and I'm gonna prescribe her some medication to help with the pain as well" he explained before giving me a wink and turning to leave the room.
An hour later, (and after I gave Connor a big hug thank you), I was walking out of the hospital with a purple cast on my left arm that sat in a sling,
"Do you wanna take Gracie home and I'll go and pick her prescription up" Will suggested as he stopped in front of his own car,
"Sure, can you bring some food back with you as well?" Jay asked,
"Sure, what do you want?" He asked and Jay looked at me,
"Your choice" he said and I instantly knew what I wanted,
"Can we have McDonalds?" I asked making both of my brother smirk,
"Fine by me" Jay shrugged before looking at Will,
"Just this once" Will agreed making me smile. Normally I'm not really allowed McDonalds as both of my brother hate it. Jay say's that you over pay for rubbish food and Will say's it's too unhealthy, "see you at home" he said with a shake of his head before opening his car door "and don't let Gracie sleep" he warned Jay who nodded,
"Got it" he said as he led me over to his own truck.
When we got home Jay helped me change in to some pyjamas and sat down with me on the sofa, giving me one of his promised cuddles,
"Why weren't you there Jay Jay?" I asked and he let out a heavy sigh in to my hair,
"I know I was supposed to be. I know and I'm so so sorry Gracie" he apologised "I don't have an excuse, but I promise you that it will never happen again" he said and I nodded "I love you" he said as he gave me a kiss on the forehead,
"I love you too" I replied as I rested my head back on his chest,
"Only me" Will called out as the sound of the front door shutting filled the apartment "remind me to say no next time you ask for McDonalds" he said as he put the food down on the counter along with his keys,
"Why?" Jay asked teasingly,
"For a so called 'fast food' chain, they really need to work on the fast part" he said dramatically and I shuffled off of Jays lap and on to the sofa next to him "how can it take twenty minutes to make three meals?" He questioned as he washed his hands and opened up my happy meal before handing it to me,
"Thank you" I said as I took it from him and began to eat my fries and he handed me a juice box making me wrinkle my nose,
"I wanted a Coke" I whined slightly,
"And I got you a Coke as well" he replied "but you can have it tomorrow. It's too late to be drinking that now" he said and I agreed knowing that I would have it tomorrow.
I spent the evening sandwiched between Will and Jay on the sofa watching movies and after nearly a couple of hours I could feel my eyelids begin to grow droopy,
"Gracie" Will squeezed my knee to wake me up "c'mon, you need to take some of this medicine before you go to sleep" he said as he got off the sofa to retrieve the, what I'm presuming is, vile liquid.
"Noooo" I whined as I turned and hid my face in Jays arm,
"Look, you've still got some of your juice left" Jay said as he picked up my half full juice box and held it up "if you have this straight after you won't even taste it" he said and I grumbled "you don't wanna be in pain again like you where earlier do you?" He asked and I shook my head "then let's get this in your system so you won't be" he insisted as Will walked back over with the white liquid on the spoon and I shut my eyes and opened my mouth to get it over with. I quickly grabbed my juice box to wash the taste away,
"Good girl" Will praised before putting the spoon in the sink and sitting back down next to me. We selected another movie and I rested my head on a pillow in Jays lap and eventually felt sleep over come me.
Jays POV
I looked down and my sleeping sister and sighed heavily, noticing that my brother was doing the same,
"Come on then" I spoke quietly "say what you wanna say" I added making him shake his head and lean forward to rest on his knees,
"I've got nothing to say" he replied making me raise an eyebrow,
"Well you had plenty to say in the hospital earlier" I replied,
"I don't have anything to say anymore" he added "I know you're already beating yourself up about it so you won't need my help" he said "I'm sorry for anything I might've said earlier" he apologised "I was angry and it was in the heat of the moment" he added,
"I'm sorry too" I said truthfully "I don't know what I'd have done if anything happened to her" I admitted and Will nodded in agreement,
"Let's not think about that" he said seriously, trying to shake the thought from his head,
"I tell you one thing though" I spoke "I'm gonna be on the phone to the school in the morning. I can't believe they just left her there on her own" I exclaimed in a hushed tone, being careful not to wake the sleeping Gracie.
"That's what annoyed me more than anything" Will agreed as he rubbed a hand over his face from exhaustion,
"Why don't you go and get some rest? You've been up longer than me and you're gonna be no use to Gracie if you're exhausted" I said,
"You're right" he defeated "I'd wake her up every few hours just to be safe, but wake me if there's anything you need" he said and I nodded,
"Got it" I assured and he gave me a pat on the shoulder before going to bed. I shuffled off the sofa without waking Gracie before picking her up and carrying her to my room. I I figured it's make more sense to have her in my room then I can keep a closer eye on her. I put her down in my bed and pulled the duvet up to her chin before going to her bedroom to fetch her favourite bunny. I placed it next to her in bed before leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead and thinking 'nothing like this is every gonna happen to you again'.